Mitch Hayes

@mitchhayes__

In my work, I examine photography's unpredictable and transformative potential by microwaving film. This experimental technique allows me to explore the balance between creation and destruction, as the heat and radiation distort the film into abstract forms. These results challenge the traditional understanding of photography as a medium of representation.

I am particularly interested in how technology shapes contemporary life, both in its ability to create and destroy. Using a microwave, an everyday object, as a tool for artistic transformation highlights the overlap between the ordinary and the experimental. This process becomes a reflection of the larger cycles of change and decay that affect both our world and our inner experiences.

Through this work, I aim to challenge conventional ideas about photography. Rather than viewing it simply as a method to capture reality, I treat it as a space for transformation and exploration. By welcoming unpredictability and destruction, I encourage viewers to reconsider the medium and reflect on the fleeting nature of memory, time, and existence itself.

View the work: Building 11 First Floor, Ground Floor Gallery